WASHINGTON— The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following statement today from Executive Director Kierán Suckling in response to the news that Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham will hold a press conference on Climate Change and Energy Independence:

“The current Kerry-Boxer climate bill falls far short of what scientists tell us is necessary to stop global warming. The unlikely trio of Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham has an historic opportunity to inject reality into the Senate deliberations by requiring the deep, swift pollution reductions necessary to avert catastrophic global warming. We are concerned, however, that earlier statements by the senators suggest they will weaken an already too-weak approach to climate change.

“If a Senate bill is to have any chance of heading off the climate disaster threatening millions of people, it must guarantee that the planet’s carbon dioxide level is reduced to 350 parts per million by reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It must preserve all of the Clean Air Act’s proven mechanisms for reducing air pollution. And it must eliminate offsets.

“That the United States is the odd man out among developed countries at the Copenhagen negotiations is a strong indication of how far from scientific reality both the House and Senate have been so far in crafting global warming policy. The Center hopes that Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham can bring Congress back to reality with a climate bill that reflects the severity of the crisis and offers effective solutions instead of pointless compromises.”

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The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 240,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.